Home Swheat Home for the Holidays

This time of year always starts me reminiscing about past holidays.  Many of those memories involve food because, like most cultures around the world, it’s such an important part of how we celebrate special occasions.  Given that wheat is widely known as the “staff of life,” it’s not surprising that so many of our celebratory meals include dishes made from wheat or grains – rolls and breads, sweet and savory pies, kugels, cookies, biscuits, and that ubiquitous American Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish – stuffing, to name a few.
Bread forms the basis of holiday menus around the world as well.  Just look at this partial list of European Christmas breads:
Stollen (Germany)
Panettone (Italy)
Nissua (Finland)
Skolebrod (Norway)
Saffron Buns (Sweden)
Christmas Hoska (Czech Republic)
Beigli (Hungary)

When I was growing up, my mother always baked yeast rolls for our holiday meals.  Her recipe was carefully handed down from her mother, handwritten in cramped letters on a somewhat wrinkled and dog-eared piece of yellowing paper.  I still remember her angst each and every time over whether the dough would rise properly, but somehow it always did, even if it meant setting the dough on a shelf above the hot oven.  The resulting fluffy, golden rolls were the perfect accompaniment to a special day with family and friends.

What’s your favorite holiday wheat food?